Welcome to the first in a new series of features where we analyse and explore job roles of the future.
This month it’s all about Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Artificial Intelligence Specialists work on systems that gather information, formulate decisions and then act on that information.
Essentially, as an Artificial Intelligence Specialist, you develop software that ‘think’ like a human brain.
Sound like the perfect job for you? Read on to find out more…
First, a quick definition!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings.
The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, or learn from past experience.
Since the development of the digital computer in the 1940s, it has been demonstrated that computers can be programmed to carry out very complex tasks – as, for example, discovering proofs for mathematical theorems or playing chess – with great proficiency.
Still, despite continuing advances in computer processing speed and memory capacity, there are as yet no programs that can match human flexibility over wider domains or in tasks requiring everyday knowledge.
On the other hand, some programs have attained the performance levels of human experts and professionals in performing certain specific tasks, so that artificial intelligence in this limited sense is found in applications as diverse as medical diagnosis, computer search engines and voice or handwriting recognition.
Source: www.britannica.com
The role of an Artificial Intelligence Specialist
There are a variety of roles for a specialist to take (see below).
However, all roles have one similarity: to program computers to test hypothesis in relation to how the human mind works (cognitive simulation).
For a majority of AI Specialists their purpose is to program computer smart systems and enhance operations within a number of industries, be it financial, health or even sport.
Core responsibilities
- Software Engineer – specialising in operating systems and applications
- C# Developer – capable of handling security, testing, and much more
- Software Development Manager – includes design, installation and testing or software systems
- Java Developer – able to integrate Java into business applications, software and websites
Qualifications needed
- A strong background in programming
- Fluency in computer languages
- Degree in computer science
Average national salary: $105,000 – $152,000Top 5 in-demand AI jobs and their average salaries
- Machine Learning Engineer – $142,904
- Data Scientist – $141,807
- Research Scientist – $137,713
- Computer Vision Engineer – $136,152
- Business Intelligence Developer – $136,486
6 of the best AI Specialists to follow on Twitter
- Nathan Benaich (@NathanBenaich) Benaich is a former genetics researcher turned AI venture capitalist
- Soumith Chintala (@SoumithChintala) Chintala is a researcher in AI, machine learning and computer vision at Facebook AI Research
- Adam Coates (@AdamPaulCoates) Coates is director of Chinese search engine Baidu’s Silicon Valley AI Lab, looking at AI that scales to at least 100 million people
- Jana Eggers (@jeggers) Eggers is the CEO of Nara Logicsm an AU decision engine that works across a variety of information classes and customer verticals, using advanced techniques in machine learning
- Martin Ford (@MFordFuture) Ford is a futurist and New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Robots
- Adam Geitgey (@Ageitgey) Geitgey is a software engineer and blogger on AI and software engineering topics